Family Secrets
by Satan'sPixie
Summary: Lily Potter seemed to have it all, but what nobody knew was the REAL state of her marriage. This is the story of how it would affect the canon-story if she had had an affair. LEPxSH, HPx? Please don't flame, I welcome constructive criticism but when people are downright nasty it just annoys me! :-) Rating for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Family Secrets**_

_The middle names that I've used for Sherlock here actually comes from the suggested 'real' name of Sherlock Holmes as mentioned on this website: www . sherlockian-sherlock the-name-of-sherlock-holmes (remove the spaces) I've just moved things around a little bit._

_I __**have**__ used Google translate for part of this, but that's because I don't speak Welsh very well. The use of Welsh will be explained in a later chapter._

_Anything you recognise is not mine_

_**Chapter 1**_

Lily Evans-Potter was loved by most people for her kind ways and her protectiveness over those that she cares about. But Lady Potter had a secret which none of the people who believed that they knew her best realised, her marriage was **not** all sunshine and roses as they expected. True, she loved her husband but had she known what sort of husband he would be before she married him, she probably wouldn't have bothered. James seemed to have ideas about how 'Lady Potter' should act, ideas which did not fit with Lily's personality. She was more opinionated than James would have liked and her temper was more fiery than most people guessed. She completely abhorred the concept that a woman should sit there and look pretty for her husband rather than doing anything productive with her time and many arguments were had over her desire to train as a healer. But Lily's biggest bugbear was James' insistence that she start trying to provide him with a male heir almost immediately after their marriage. She knew that he wasn't a bad person for his views, it was simply how he was raised. But unbeknownst to her, Albus Dumbledore had persuaded James to slip a strong Fertility potion into Lily's food when the young Pureblood had spoken to the aged headmaster about the issue. Had James not listened to Dumbledore, events would not have transpired the way they did.

Lily was currently sat in a high-end cocktail bar in Muggle London, having been stood up by a friend who was meant to have drinks with her. She couldn't really blame Annette, the other woman was a doctor and had been called into work that evening. But it didn't make the situation suck any less. At least she was away from James and his insistence that they try for a child this evening. And she could probably book into a hotel somewhere as she was originally supposed to stay the night with Annette. A male figure sat next to her at the bar and she sighed internally, she'd already had to chase off several men who were intent on bedding her. But the man ignored her and she felt relief bubble up inside her. Deciding to relax a little more she ordered another champagne cocktail and surreptitiously observed the man next to her. He was tall, much taller than James or even Severus, and thin with high cheekbones, wild black curls that contrasted sharply with his pale skin and unusually pale eyes.

"Sherlock Holmes." He said quietly, surprising her.

"Pardon?" She asked, wondering if she'd been caught out.

"My name is Sherlock Holmes, have you quite finished your perusal of me yet? You are not looking for a potential husband as you are already married, and to someone who is evidently very wealthy so why were you examining me, I wonder?" The man, Sherlock Holmes as Lily now knew, said.

"Actually it was out of boredom mainly, I've been here an hour and you are the only man who has come anywhere near me that hasn't tried to seduce me. I was curious." Lily replied with a slightly embarrassed look on her face at being caught. Sherlock looked intrigued.

"And what have you deduced about me Mrs…?" He asked, his face impassive but delight shining in his eyes.

"Potter, Lily Evans-Potter. As to what I have 'deduced' about you, as you put it, well. You're obviously an attractive man but you have no interest in a relationship, something which I gather you must have had to explain to people before. You yourself, come from a family that is wealthy, but you don't tend to use it, preferring instead to find your own way. You have an older sibling whom you don't get along with and that is part of the reason that you don't tend to use your family money. You're well-educated and quite obviously intelligent although you've been in some trouble in the past. Finally, you work with chemicals but you're not a chemist." Lily grinned, loving the opportunity to actually show off her intelligence. Whenever she was around James, she had to dumb down her conversations for him and it was wearing her down.

"Oh well done Mrs Potter! You missed one or two details but overall you did very well." Sherlock smiled, seemingly excited to have another intelligent person to talk to.

"Please, call me Lily." She smiled back.

"Ah, trouble in the marriage. I wonder why you stay with him then, not that I've ever cared about that sort of thing." Sherlock said, surprising Lily.

"Let me guess, the state of my wedding ring and the fact that I requested a total stranger to call me by my first name told you that." Lily sighed, not really wanting to go into her complicated story yet.

"Of course, but I can tell that you don't wish to discuss your failing marriage so I propose a different topic. I've been contemplating finding an assistant and you are the most qualified person whom I've met. Would you be interested?" Sherlock asked, looking intently at her.

"That depends, what do you do?" Lily asked, curious.

"I'm a Consulting Detective, only one in the world, I made the job up. Whenever the Police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me and I solve the cases." Sherlock replied, hoping that Lily would agree.

"Why not, it sounds like fun!" Lily grinned.

_**Timeskip: 6 Months later…**_

Lily smiled to herself as she left her flat in London, things had changed in the last six months. James had been furious when he found out that she had gotten a job, insisting that no Lady Potter has ever worked. This led to a row during which Lily yelled that she needed some time and space away from him, hence the separate flat in London. She had no doubt that Sherlock knew what had happened but he never brought it up, he merely told her that she could count on his help if she needed it and then returned the conversation to the case they were focused on at the time. Lily found that she loved working with Sherlock on his cases, the exhilaration and mental stimulation was exactly what she was missing. But recently, she had found herself feeling more for her friend than she should. It was easy for her to fall in love with Sherlock, his intelligence and charm putting her at ease with his handsome but unusual features. What was hard was hiding it from him, but to her mind it was for the best. She put all thoughts and doubt out of her mind as she walked swiftly to see Sherlock about a case. The case was a fairly simple one and they solved it quickly before heading back to Sherlock's flat for their usual post-case celebration. This consisted of Chinese food and occasionally a glass of wine. But this time things were different.

The next morning, Lily found herself waking up in Sherlock's arms, her naked body pressed against his own and her head resting against his chest. As memories of the previous night flooded her mind, she shivered as desire for the amazing man holding her flooded through her once more. After that, their dynamic changed slightly. Sherlock was more protective of her, especially when it came to his brother who had tried to warn Lily off, and their post-case celebration usually ended up with them in bed together. Eventually, Sherlock persuaded Lily to move in with him. It made sense as she spent far more time at his flat than at her own, in fact she only went there to pick up her post now.

It was as she was leaving with her things that Albus Dumbledore found her. He had been searching for her ever since she had left James, knowing that he would lose the young Pureblood's loyalty if he didn't.

"Well Lily, I believe that it is time you gave up this foolishness and went home, don't you?" The headmaster said with a twinkle in his eyes. Lily felt nearly frozen in shock and horror and she knew that, no matter what she said now, she would be forced back to James. With that in mind, she took off running, using her new knowledge of London to avoid Dumbledore for a while. She ducked into a public phone booth and phoned the number that she knew off by heart.

"Hello?" Sherlock asked, his deep voice flooding through her and filling her with a wave of love once more.

"Sherlock, it's Lily. An associate of my husband's has found me and I think I'm going to be forced to go back to him. Don't look for me if I don't make it back to you, it'll just get you hurt and I couldn't bear that. Just know that I love you Sherlock, and I always will. Please love, stay safe." She said quickly, not giving him any time to answer before she put the phone down and fled once more, trying desperately to make it to the Leaky Cauldron. She knew that if she could get to Gringotts, she could ask them to help her leave James for good. She nearly made it, she had gotten to the door of the Leaky Cauldron when Dumbledore grabbed her.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea, do you?" He said, his grandfatherly twinkle absent at having to chase her throughout London.

"Please, just let me go! If you do then I can make it so James is free to find a 'proper Lady Potter' as he wishes me to be!" Lily begged desperately.

"I'm sorry my dear, but he has chosen you, you might as well get used to it." Dumbledore replied, apparating her back to Potter Manor.

And so it was that Lily was bound to the manor by magic, the golden chains on her wrist a visual reminder of her entrapment. She now hated her husband, he had refused to let her go when it would be beneficial for the both of them and now served only to make her miserable. He was happier with her though as it seemed that she was pregnant. It never occurred to him that there was a chance that the child was not his, he was too arrogant to even consider the possibility that Lily had found someone else when she had been away.

"Please dear God and Merlin, let this child be Sherlock's. I couldn't bear it if my baby was fathered by my rapist of a husband." She prayed at night when she was alone in her room, tears falling in her misery. James never knew what his wife prayed, he was too busy fulfilling his needs as he put it with other women. Lily's pregnancy was spent in isolation and misery, her only visitor was Poppy Pomfrey who was her chosen healer. And it was Poppy whom she told the whole story to. Poppy agreed to keep Lily's secret but began compiling evidence of James Potter and Dumbledore's deeds in case they ever hurt Lily again.

When Lily went into labour, she refused to allow James into the birthing room, not wanting him anywhere near her. Dumbledore also tried to enter the room but Poppy chased him out but stating that as he was not family, he had no reason to be in there. It was a long labor, but from the moment Lily first saw her son, she knew exactly who his father was. Everything about him, from his pale skin and high cheekbones to the dark curls screamed Sherlock to her and she sent a quick prayer of thanks to whatever deity had listened to her.

"Lily dear, we'll need to let James in soon to keep appearances and name the child." Poppy said gently, knowing how tough it must be for the poor woman to realise that her child might never know its true father.

"I know, but could you make a separate birth certificate now with the correct father put down? I don't think I'll ever get away now but maybe my son will." Lily asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Of course dear, what name shall I put for him?" Poppy asked, spelling a certificate to fill itself in.

"Hadrian Sherlock Emrys Holmes." Lily smiled sadly, holding her beloved son gently.

"And the father's name?" Poppy asked, knowing how difficult it must be for Lily.

"Sherlock William Scott Holmes." Lily said softly, tears pooling in her eyes.

James, of course, decided that the child should be named 'Harry James Potter' after being told that the boy looked like Lily's deceased (and fictional) brother which explained to him why the child didn't look like him.

Lily was gently rocking her son in the nursery of the Potter cottage of Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore had persuaded them to go into hiding as he said that Voldemort wanted to kill the child because of a prophecy but Lily didn't believe him, just because James had bound her to two different Potter properties, didn't mean that she had lost any of her skills of observation and deduction. She knew that he was worried about her son's power levels, especially that it looked as if he would be more powerful than Dumbledore. She had little doubt that Voldemort would turn up, but she believed that Dumbledore had been the one to put a target on their backs.

She knew that if anything happened to her and James, that Dumbledore would send Hadrian to her sister if he survived too and so, before they went into hiding, she made some plans. First she wrote to Petunia, explaining Hadrian's true paternity along with a letter for Sherlock and requested that Petunia locate Sherlock if he was placed with her family. She then wrote to Gringotts to make a separate will to James, requesting that guardianship of Hadrian would go to Sherlock and mentioned that he was Hadrian's true father. James had no idea that Lily was planning on circumventing the will he'd made for the both of them in regards to the guardianship of her son.

Everything started to play out as Dumbledore wished, Voldemort killed James as soon as he entered the house but when he reached the nursery and found Lily with a bag, holding her son, that is where everything changed.

"Well Mudblood, your precious husband is dead, stand aside and let me wipe his spawn from the face of the earth. If you do, I might just let you live." The Dark Lord smirked viciously.

"Please don't hurt my son, take me instead." She begged, wanting no harm to come to Hadrian.

"You silly woman, his father is dead! If you die also then who would take care of him?!" Voldemort said incredulously.

"James Potter is _**not**_ my son's father!" Lily spat angrily, clutching her child closer to her body. She needn't have worried though as her words shocked Voldemort to the point that he wasn't contemplating attacking her.

"The child was fathered by someone else?" He asked quietly, watching her expression intently.

"Yes, Hadrian's father is the man I truly love whom Dumbledore forced me to leave and return to that deceased rapist that dared call himself my husband! If you don't mind, I'd like to return to him and introduce our son to him." Lily replied, leaving her mind open to Legillmency. What Voldemort found in her mind corroborated her story and made him laugh.

"Well that changes his status! I had thought that he was one of the 'Prophecy Children' but if his father isn't James Potter then he can't be!" Voldemort laughed, seemingly pleased that he didn't have to commit infanticide.

"Prophecy Children?" Lily asked, shouldering her bag a bit more thoroughly so she could pick her son up.

"There is a prophecy that foretells my death at the hands of the 'Chosen One', and both your son and that of the Longbottoms were considered as potentials due to them both having parents that each defied me three times. But as your son's real father is a muggle, he has never defied me. Go, and take your son to his father. But be warned, I will only be merciful this once. To ensure the safety of the three of you, you must remain neutral. If either you or your son join the light side, my protection will end." Voldemort said.

"Trust me, after all the 'Light' has done to me, I will _**never **_join them! And I will not allow my son to either! But I wonder if I can request protection for someone else as well, she is the only other person who knows the truth of Hadrian's parentage." Lily asked, gently rocking her son.

"Her name?" Voldemort asked in return.

"Poppy Pomfrey. She's the nurse at Hogwarts. She's stated to me that she's only stayed there to look after the children." Lily replied, hoping that he would agree.

"You need not worry, I had already agreed with her to spare her." Voldemort replied, sending relief flooding through Lily.

"Thank you, she's been a good friend, and I've made allowances with Gringotts for her to be my son's magical guardian if anything ever happens to me." Lily smiled, picking up the bag containing the belongings she wished to take with her.

"This prophecy, are you sure that it isn't something that Dumbledore made up?" Lily asked curiously as she turned back to Voldemort. Most people would be terrified of him, but she had found him to be intelligent and besides, she was a Gryffindor!

"What do you mean?" Voldemort asked.

"I believe that Dumbledore was concerned over my son's power levels and made the prophecy up to get you to kill my baby. Some of the things he said were rather odd and struck me as unusual at the time. It's almost as if he doesn't want anyone to be as powerful as him." Lily explained, gnawing on her lower lip as she thought it through. A flash of light hit Voldemort in the back, downing the Dark Wizard, whose body crumbled to ash as part of his protections against death.

"You are quite right, Mrs. Potter. But now that you know my secret, I'm afraid I must do away with you and the boy." Dumbledore smirked from the doorway, his wand aimed at her now.

"Dumbledore, I would leave my son and I alone if I were you. If you do not, then I swear to God and Merlin that you _**will**_ regret it!" Lily snarled, holding Hadrian close. Dumbledore ignored her, however and aimed an _Avada Kedavra_ at her son first. Quickly Lily sprung into action to ensure that her son would survive.

"Gwirodydd y ddaear a'r awyr,  
Erfyniaf arnoch i glywed fy ple!  
Amddiffyn fy mhlentyn ,  
Y gallai fod yn dilyn eich cyfreithiau!  
Gwirodydd o'r fflam tonnau ac ,  
Lend eich cymorth i achub fy mab ,  
Y gallai fod ddial fi!" She called, as a red, green, blue and yellow glow surrounded Hadiran. The curse hit the child before being rebounded away. Dumbledore dodged as he sent another curse, this time towards Lily. When the red-headed witch was lying lifeless, Dumbledore picked up the child, looking at him with disdain.

"I don't know what your mother did to protect you, but perhaps we can find another use for you. For now, I believe that you must go to your aunt's, I'm sure there you'll grow up nice and humble." Dumbledore said, putting the child in the crib and destroying much of the house before leaving. He then contacted Hagrid, asking him to remove the child and meet him at Petunia Dursley's home the next evening.

Minerva McGonagall had already heard about Lily and James' deaths and had been observing the Dursley family all day by the time that Dumbledore arrived. With a mental sigh, he reassured her before Hagrid arrived with the child. With a great show of gentleness even though he wanted to do nothing of the sort, Dumbledore laid the blanket covered child on the doorstep with a letter for Petunia.

So it was, that Petunia Dursley found her nephew on her doorstep the next morning when she went to fetch the milk, her scream of surprise waking her husband...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Family Secrets**_

_Thanks go out to: abby1006, STP7-10SPLIT, metrokid1981, IVANHOE, leen01, washingtongurrl, lilou5701, Casse01, shagggy, darkyshana, stardustreader, Vi38, blackwolfgirl88, Constance Truggle, bloody-black-lion, bevfan2, , Mainsail, frannienzbabe, shadow7564, curlup2cuddle, kate1243, Sillage, Itachisgirl88, Far Away In Wonderland, Ju du Nord, EmmaM21, Yoruko Rhapsodos, Lady Vonda, The American Psycho, Treebrooke, shadow-warrior93, Ehzzu, fishesforwishes, Niamh O'Leary, softdeepgrey, Reaumur, Nerd-in-a-book, Barren Chasm, puparoo13, MelindaLove, thegoldfishassassin, kittykat9628, Seravonijia d'Felys, Miyako Yukimura, DIAlecHotty, Tenshi01, Mari Wollsch, aj13walker, PuppyProngs, MarieVerdonck, Angel4EverLostInLife, wolfgirl4554, LucediDio, KitKat05, jenn008, Sarah Riddle Potter, Lion of the Mountain, HIM399131 and 3 'guests'. By the way, one of the guest reviews has guessed a part of the plot already! Also I need some idea of who you want Harry/Hadrian to be with so I'm accepting suggestions. The only characters I won't consider are Hermione, Ginny, Ron or any of the Weasleys I'm afraid as I have plans for those characters already. _

_I've just gotten the best news for Sherlock fans, especially those in the UK, there's talk of a theme park that's being planned in Kent having Sherlock-themed attractions, how __**AWESOME**_ _is that?!_

_Also, this is set after series 3 of 'Sherlock' as I __**REALLY**_ _don't want to have to to 'The Reichenbach Fall' as I __**HATE**_ _that episode!_

_Anything you recognise is not mine._

_**Chapter 2**_

Once Petunia had reassured Vernon that she was alright, the two adult Dursleys were sat in their living room with their nephew and son.

"Pet, this letter says that we need to keep the boy here." Vernon said moodily after reading the letter as his wife held the two boys on her lap.

"Well we will for a few days, but before Lily was forced into hiding, she sent me a letter explaining. Hadrian here is **not** the child of her husband, she had actually tried to leave him but was forced to remain married to him. She had fallen in love with someone else during the only separation she had managed to have with him and that relationship resulted in Hadrian." Petunia replied, watching as Dudley and Hadrian seemed to be examining each other with great interest. Petunia gave a fond smile as she remembered Lily and herself doing something similar when they were little.

"How do you know that this 'Sherlock Holmes' will just accept that Hadrian is his son? How do you know that we haven't just had the boy dumped on us?" Vernon asked, still a bit moody. It wasn't that he didn't want to care for his nephew, he just didn't like the choice being taken away from him. Had he been asked previously, he would have agreed, especially as Hadrian was a quiet and pleasant child.

"Lily was sure of his feelings for her, and my sister was a good judge of character. She was fond of that Snape boy and he adored her up until the point when he went to live with relatives after his mother died. And _**if**_ he won't accept Hadrian, then we will raise him. I'm not abandoning my sister's child!" Petunia said firmly.

"Pet, I didn't mean it like that. I just don't like having the choice taken away from me." Vernon sighed.

In the end, it only took two days before Sherlock Holmes was available to see them. And so, with Hadrian and Dudley both dressed warmly in Dudley's clothes (Petunia had been furious that no one had thought to leave Hadrian with anything of his own) they set off to London for their meeting with Hadrian's real father. Dudley was a little bit fussy, almost as if he knew that he was going to be separated from his cousin. Even though Hadrian had only been with them for a short time, the two cousins had grown close. Petunia worried that Dudley would continue crying for the whole journey until Hadrian placed his hand on Dudley's arm, quieting his cousin. Seeing the sweet scene before her, Petunia hoped that they would be able to keep contact with her nephew if he did go to live with his father.

When they arrived at the address provided, 221 Baker Street, Petunia and Vernon were surprised. While pleasant looking, it wasn't the sort of street they expected someone like Sherlock Holmes to live on. Each giving a mental shrug, they collected the children from the car, Petunia carrying Dudley while Vernon held Hadrian. An older woman answered the door when they rang the bell, and smiled warmly at the two children although she was surprised at Hadrian's appearance. When they told her that they had an appointment with Sherlock, she immediately led them upstairs.

"I don't normally do this of course, I mean, I'm his landlady, not his housekeeper." She said to Petunia as they walked up the stairs to a second-floor flat.

Sherlock was sat in an armchair, his hands together in front of him, and when they entered he looked up at them. In that moment, Petunia could see why Lily had fallen in love with this man so quickly, he was very handsome (even if his curiously coloured eyes seemed to be gazing right through you) and cut a striking figure in his tailored suit.

"Mr and Mrs Dursley, I presume." He said in his deep voice as he raised an eyebrow at the appearance of the children.

"Yes, I apologise for bringing the children, we couldn't find a babysitter that we trusted enough and considering why we're here, it felt more appropriate to bring them." Petunia smiled, as they took a seat at Sherlock's indication.

"Yes, about why you're here, your email wasn't very forthcoming on the details. May I ask what issue is so secret and important that you could not put it into an email?" Sherlock asked as Mrs Hudson left them to it. Petunia sighed sadly.

"Mr Holmes, do you possibly remember a woman by the name of Lily Evans-Potter?" She said softly, watching his reaction. Sherlock stiffened.

"How do you know that name?" He asked, his eyes narrowing and flashing dangerously.

"Lily was my younger sister, she sent me a letter about you a few months ago Mr Holmes explaining briefly that she had had a relationship with you. If it makes you feel any better, she hadn't wanted to leave you at all and loved you until she died." Petunia explained, tears filling her eyes at the thought of her sister. Sherlock closed his eyes briefly.

"I had hoped that she would escape her brute of a husband and make it back to me. If only she'd come straight to me when his associates found her, I would have been able to protect her! But you haven't explained what issue is so important that you have dredged up the past." He said, sadness flowing through him as he thought of the woman he had loved.

"I think you should read this letter from Lily, she asked that I give it to you after her death." Petunia replied, handing over the thick parchment envelope. Hiding his eagerness to read the letter, Sherlock carefully opened it and let his eyes sweep across the last words Lily would say to him.

'_My dearest Sherlock,_

_If you are reading this then I am dead and I never managed to escape James. For the longest time, he has been my husband in name only and I despise the very mention of him. He has no consideration of my wishes and feelings and he proved that quite well when he started taking other women to his bed, not that I am complaining as the more of them he slept with, the less I had to endure him._

_But this letter is not merely to gripe about James Potter, I have something important to tell you. Sherlock, when they took me back, I was pregnant. I didn't know it at the time or I would have told you. When I first arrived back with James, he used a ritual to bind me to two different Potter properties, meaning that I would be trapped until he died. After that he forced himself upon me multiple times. I'm sorry I had to tell you this, my love._

_It was upon the discovery that I was pregnant that James started taking other women to his bed and I spent my pregnancy mostly in isolation although my midwife, a lovely woman named Poppy Pomfrey, visited regularly to check up on me. She knows the full truth about us and agreed to keep our secret. Throughout my pregnancy I prayed that the child would be yours and not James' although I would have still loved my son. Imagine my joy mixed with sadness when Hadrian was born and I saw that you were indeed his father. I named Poppy and Petunia as his godmothers and your brother and an old friend of mine named Severus Snape as his godfathers. James wasn't in the birthing room so Poppy managed to fill out a correct birth certificate for our son which I have provided with this letter, his true name is Hadrian Sherlock Emrys Holmes._

_Our son is powerful Sherlock, and Albus Dumbledore is worried about his power. We are being made to go into hiding with James and I have a bad feeling that something is going to happen. In that instance, Dumbledore will place Hadrian with my sister and her family, hoping that he will be abused. He doesn't know that I reconnected with her while I was with you. Please Sherlock, raise our son to be the man I know he can be, a man as wonderful as you._

_With all my love,_

_Lily_'

When he had finished reading the letter, Sherlock stared at it for a few seconds before turning back to the Dursleys and observing both children. One was obviously the Dursley's son but the other made Sherlock nearly gasp. The child had the exact same high cheekbones as him as well as the same cupid's bow mouth and wildly curling hair. From Lily, the child had received her nose and eyes in a beautiful shade of emerald green. Hadrian, 'My son!' Sherlock though, was gazing at him with a piercing expression similar to one he used himself. A slight smile graced his features at the sight of that familiar expression on the face of another. Hadrian began to wriggle to get out of Vernon's arms, reaching for Sherlock who allowed Vernon to place the young child in his arms.

"Thank you for keeping your promise to Lily." Sherlock said quietly as he held Hadrian close to him, he'd never really thought of having children before but he found that he rather liked having a small child who was a mixture of him and Lily in his arms.

"I _**did**_ love my sister, I wish she'd never met James Potter, in the end he only brought her misery. I hope you'll let us keep in contact, Mr Holmes, Dudley is rather fond of his cousin." Petunia smiled wistfully.

"I would be offended if you didn't wish to have contact with my son as Lily chose you as one of Hadrian's godmothers." Sherlock replied with a smirk

In the end it was agreed that Hadrian would stay for another couple of days with the Dursley family while Sherlock prepared a room for him. He also needed to tell the rest of his family that Lily had given him a son. Sherlock knew that while it would be a surprise, especially for his older brother Mycroft, that they would be pleased for him and would support him if he needed it. Mrs Hudson, of course, would be ecstatic that there would be a child around the place and she would no doubt spoil Hadrian rotten given half the chance.

True to his prediction, his family rallied round to help him get everything ready for Hadrian's arrival. Mycroft had been somewhat bemused when he was told that Lily had named him as one of Hadrian's godfathers as she had only met him once. It was even more surprising that their cousin had been named Hadrian's other godfather. Not many people in Wizarding Britain knew that the Holmes family was a Wizarding one but that was because traditionally every Holmes studied at Beauxbatons Academy in France. Severus' mother was actually Lady Holmes' sister and upon her death when he was fourteen, he had been sent to live with his cousins as his father was found to have been abusive towards them both. When Severus heard that the child he had thought of as James Potter's son was actually Sherlock's, all hatred that he had been preparing to have simply left him. Most of his peers from Hogwarts assumed that Severus had been in love with Lily, but that was not the case. She was his dearest friend and they had faked the falling out to get the other Gryffindors off her back about being friends with a Slytherin. In actual fact, Severus had begun seeing Élodie Delacroix, one of Sherlock's peers from Beauxbatons, when they were sixteen. In fact, he and Élodie were set to marry in a few months time. Knowing that Lily's son most likely wouldn't be going to Hogwarts, Severus had no qualms turning down Albus Dumbledore's job offer in favour of doing his own private research. Of course, the manipulative old man had tried to guilt him into accepting the position but stopped short when Severus mentioned Élodie.

"But my boy, what about Lily?" The aged headmaster had spluttered in disbelief, he'd assumed that Severus was in love with Lily and some of his plans revolved around that.

"She was my dearest friend and like a sister to me. Dear me headmaster, you weren't one of the people who believed me to be in love with her were you?" Severus replied with a smirk, he loved disrupting preconceived notions.

"And what about Lily and James' son, surely you wish to be at Hogwarts to protect him?" Dumbledore asked, trying a new angle.

"Oh, I'm sure that Lily's son will be perfectly fine without me here, he might even benefit more if I wasn't a teacher here." Severus replied almost flippantly, revealing nothing about Hadrian's true parentage. Knowing that he was beaten, Dumbledore gave up but kept giving him disappointed looks in the hope that Severus would feel guilty. But there was no such luck for Albus Dumbledore that day.

It was about a week after Hadrian had come to live with Sherlock that Élodie visited to meet her new 'neveu' as she called Hadrian. It wasn't the first time that she had visited and Mrs Hudson greeted her eagerly when she opened the door to her. When Élodie entered the living room of 221B, she couldn't help but smile at the sight which met her eyes. Sherlock was sat in his armchair with Hadrian in his lap and a copy of 'TinTin: Le Secret de la Licorne et Le Tésor de Rackham le Rouge' open which he was reading to the small child from in fluent French.

"I don't understand why Sherlock's starting him with French now, he hasn't started speaking yet." Mrs Hudson whispered so as not to disturb their story time.

"Ah, but Mrs 'udson, leetle Adrien is an 'olmes, eet ees een 'is blood to be fluent een both French and English." Élodie replied with a smile. Throughout her relationship with Severus, she had had a front row seat to Sherlock playing many roles with ease but she couldn't help but feel that the role of 'father' suited him very well, much better than some of his others.

It didn't take long for Sherlock to notice them, and he nodded while finishing the page they were on. Hadrian scowled slightly, showing his disapproval of the story stopping in the middle. He rather liked listening to his father's deep voice as he read a story to him.

"We can carry on reading later, little one, but for now we have a guest." Sherlock chuckled at his son's protest.

Hadrian seemed to have a knack for charming people and Élodie was no exception. It was while she was cuddling Hadrian and chattering to him in a mix of French and English that Greg Lestrade turned up. The detective inspector hadn't been to ask for Sherlock's help since before he had found about Hadrian. As such, Greg wasn't aware that Sherlock had a son and so, when faced with a child that looked an awful lot like the Consulting Detective, his brain seemed to stop for a moment.

"Yes Lestrade, Hadrian is my son. Can we get to why you came here?" Sherlock asked impatiently.

"Right, yes, I wanted your opinion on these marking we found on a body." Greg said finally, pulling out some photos. He was still having trouble getting permission for Sherlock to be consulted on any cases let alone being allowed onto any crime scenes after the Magnussen incident. But even his 'superiors' were confused by some of these markings and agreed that Sherlock could be consulted.

Sherlock checked that Hadrian was engrossed with Élodie's conversation before he looked eagerly at the pictures. Each body had been strangled to death before a line, a circle and a 'U' were carved into their chests, just over their heart. Seeing the carvings, caused a random memory to flash into Sherlock's brain, of having tea with Moriarty and the apple with 'I O U' bitten into it.

"Moriarty…" Sherlock whispered as apprehension flooded his very being. Greg looked alarmed as Sherlock spoke.

"But he's dead, you told everyone what really happened on that rooftop. How could he have survived that?" Greg asked quietly.

"Easy, he could have used a stage prop as the gun, it would make the sound but cause no damage. Next he'd need a blood pack on the back of his head, possibly with a mechanism to make it burst in a similar manner to a gunshot wound. He'd be able to learn how to properly do a stage fall quite easily." Sherlock explained, busily texting his brother at the perceived new threat not only to himself and his friends but also to his son.

"But surely you'd have seen it before!" Greg exclaimed, feeling a bit confused. Sherlock glanced at him.

"I will admit that I _**was**_ a bit panicked at the time, I had just been told that my friends would be shot unless I killed myself or Moriarty called them off. Seeing him shoot himself was enough to drive the possibility that he somehow survived out of my mind." Sherlock explained, reading Mycroft's reply. Not many knew just how vindictive Mycroft could be when someone caused his family some harm but Moriarty would learn that the hard way.

"So what do we do?" Greg asked, glancing at Élodie with curiosity in his eyes.

"We wait, my brother has some of his best people looking for Moriarty. Let him know what it's like to be hunted for a while. I'm going to concentrate on keeping my son safe." Sherlock replied, standing and collecting Hadrian from Élodie and turning to his old friend.

"Élodie, I need to to tell Severus that an old adversary of mine has resurfaced so I might need some help with protecting my son." He said calmly as he held Hadrian to him. Élodie stood and nodded.

"Of course Sherlock, you and Adrien are still coming to ze wedding, non?" She smiled waving lightly to Hadrien.

"Bien sûr. Nous serons là." Sherlock replied, the French coming easily to him.

"Au revoir, mon cousin d'être." Élodie smiled as she kissed both his cheeks goodbye and left. Greg was staring incredulously at him when Sherlock turned back to the detective inspector.

"What is it?" Sherlock asked with an internal sigh.

"Who was she? And since when do you speak French?" Greg asked, his brain finally reconnecting.

"Her name is Élodie Delacroix, she's an old school friend of mine and engaged to my cousin. As for speaking French, I've been speaking it since I was a child, my family have gone to school in France for generations so we learn French early on. Greg, it doesn't really matter about any of that right now, you'll probably be whisked off to a meeting with my brother not long after you leave here so I really can't see how any of this information is important." Sherlock said almost dismissively as Hadrian examined Greg before pointing at him.

"'Croft!" He said in his childlike way. Sherlock looked surprised before grinning and nodding.

"Greg, my brother will probably be getting impatient. It might be wise if you headed off now." Sherlock said, hiding his grin from Greg. While it was a surprise, it might actually do Greg and Mycroft good. Sherlock knew that when Hadrian was finally talking properly, he would be able to tell them what had happened to his mother. The Consulting Detective had already asked the child if he could remember and Hadrian had nodded sadly. It had taken a lot of stories for Hadrian to be able to sleep that night...


	3. Chapter 3

_**Family Secrets**_

_Thanks to: kate1243, abby1006, Emdee, Angel4EverLostInLife, FlopsyTheStingyDingo, Mytryk, MelindaLove, terfa, Wiuwi, Constance Truggle, MeanwhileInKansas, Yoruko Rhapsodos, anon940, milenatik, Casse01, mexchica228, aesmith22, Vi38, Assassin Master Uzumaki, Little Green Faerie Of Doom, soprano-in-waiting, tasneembhuiyan, Stargone12, amac90uk, mitchie67, xDarklightx, Phantom Trainer, Fandom Feathers, sarahmaria98, ashleymariestel, Galianna, pinkmonkey36, REd Empire, cuterchic419, .50, Sakura Lisel, Schattenreiter, Phantom Trainer, Rawdha, Black Sparrow, klinde6354, P-Webes, allietheepic7, .X, Cassandra-Luna-Bellatrix-Snape, Grey-Rain-Cloud, Jade Aislin, igotmoneymoney, kuromerukaki, mishuu, griffincub, Daomarik, CauldronCalamity, Rikkie, JunoirShadow1711, icyquest4, jenn008, TWLOHA26, koldy, AmarisPale, Necromancer72, artsycherry, All The Pretty Horses, Kurogami Mika, Angelisa McKaine, CatGirl04, ChiisaiPanda, UEAcon, jenniebennie, Sorrow7e, geetac, Tsukiyoukai, hiddenshade knownwitch, bkcgirl, The Pencil Goddess, Vegasman59, Bearinmyoatmeal1, J. , whogirl1993, nekoeye, lean238, Until I Remember My Name, Chibisuka6, Dzykishi, bexi2010, Rhysel Ash, SevenBlackRoses, HeavensDemonHellsAngel, BrokenMirror97, Am0rtentiaP0ti0n, Renee20061918, Hecate91, MidnightFlame13968. Doctor394, avacadopie, stefanialilly, melbgirl, wdlwbt, weaver yk, Spitfire17268, Irishdanceringrulz1776 and redstickbonbon._

_Hey guys! I'm back from my Christmas holiday! I hope you all had a great Winter Holiday and a Happy New Year! I know I'm several weeks late but I've had quite a bit going on so I'm really sorry! But hopefully the fact that it's a long chapter will make up for it._

_I just want to give a shout out to the other Sherlock Sheep who've said that they want to read this story._

_The first person to get the film reference get's a shout out next chapter._

_I'm still taking suggestions for who to pair Harry with so let me know your thoughts!_

_Anything you recognise is not mine._

_**Chapter 3**_

True to little Hadrian's prediction, Mycroft and Greg soon became an item. This meant that the truth about magic could be revealed to him, thus explaining how Sherlock had survived jumping off a building (he'd apparated to a safe location while a couple of feet off the ground, not a feat he wished to attempt again) and giving Hadrian another layer of protection. Once the story of Lily and Sherlock's relationship was revealed to him, Greg was fully behind the family's attempts to keep Hadrian away from Dumbledore. The poor Detective Inspector was horrified that someone would force a woman to stay with a man she didn't love.

Less than three months after Mycroft and Greg started their relationship, Severus and Élodie got married at the Holmes family home in France. The pair were frequent visitors to Baker street, and were often the ones that Hadrian wished to look after him while Sherlock was off solving a case. It was shortly after his second birthday that the family increased in size. Not many people knew that Severus' father was a muggle but one day, Severus received word that his muggle cousin and her husband had died in a car accident, leaving their two-year-old daughter with no other family. Of course, even if the little girl had somewhere else to go, Severus and Élodie would still have adopted her as the little girl was showing strong signs of magic.

When Hadrian first met Hermione Granger, soon to be Hermione Snape, they became instant best friends. In many ways they were more like siblings than cousins. As they grew older, it became obvious that Hadrian was very protective of her, much like Sherlock was with anyone he considered friends and family. Mycroft, of course, ensured that Hermione would have a place at Beauxbatons when the time came. He didn't want to deal with the tantrum which would ensue if Hadrian found out that she might not go to the same school as him.

_**Timeskip: 9 years**_

Hadrian woke slowly, relishing the rare opportunity that he didn't have a case. He'd been seven when he first started helping his father with cases, normally from the safety of Baker street but occasionally he was allowed to go to crime scenes. Lately things had been a little quiet, only a few cases in London and even fewer outside of it. There wasn't even anything new from Moriarty. The psychopathic criminal tended to resurface every six months or so, always in a different part of the country (although he generally avoided London) and commit some crime, almost as if he was reminding Sherlock that he was still out there.

As his brain kicked into gear, it struck Hadrian that it was his 11th birthday, he would finally receive his letter from Beauxbatons where he would be going to school with Hermione in September. Maybe he could persuade his father to take him to Diagon Alley to get some school supplies. Hadrian grinned to himself as he rose and dressed in a style very similar to his father. The years had only increased his resemblance to Sherlock, although he had kept his mother's eyes and nose.

Sherlock was always reluctant to go to Diagon Alley, there was always someone there who tried to get him involved in the war on either side before Lily's death, and after Hadrian had come to live with him, he seemed to be almost mobbed by fortune-hunting witches who used his status as a single parent as an attempted route into a marriage with him.

True to Sherlock's prediction, he was mobbed, although a few of them were mothers, looking to enter their daughters into marriage contracts with Hadrian. It was just after Sherlock had rebuffed some shrill shrew whose last name was Wezley or something, that they were approached by someone they were rather more pleased to see.

"Hadrian!" Hermione called, rushing up to her friend and hugging him while Severus and Élodie followed at a more sedate pace.

"Snape! I should have known you'd poke your overly large nose in at some point! Let me guess, you wish to arrange a match between your spawn and the Holmes heir!" The redheaded harpy spat angrily. Severus merely looked uninterestedly at her.

"Actuellement madame, no member of zee 'Olmes family 'as ever 'ad an arranged marriage. Zey always marry for love." Élodie said patiently.

"Who asked you, you French tart?" was the angry reply, causing everyone in their small family to narrow their eyes angrily.

"Molly Weasley! Might I remind you that _**you**_ are the one who was caught using love potions to have multiple relationships while in school! If anyone here is a tart, it is you! Élodie is, and always will be, a lady of the highest caliber." Severus snarled, his magic crackling in anger.

"Of course you would believe that old Pureblood crap!" Molly replied, her face nearly as red as her hair.

"Actually...Milly, was it?..you've completely misunderstood Severus' meaning. When he said that Élodie is a lady, he was referring to the fact that she does not feel the need to scream or insult people in the middle of a busy street." Sherlock input, smirking as he deliberately used the wrong name. He turned to Severus and Élodie. "Why don't you three join Hadrian and I? I was going to take him to get his wand." He said, completely ignoring the fuming woman behind him. The five of them had started to move away before Molly Weasley regained enough composure to reply.

"It's Molly!" She screeched before dragging her daughter off towards Gringotts.

Of course, the only place in Diagon Alley to get a wand is Ollivander's. Ollivander himself was old even when Sherlock had been Hadrian's age but Sherlock knew that some of the best wands in the UK came from this little shop. It was as dimly lit as Sherlock remembered but neither child seemed apprehensive at the low lighting.

"Ah, I was expecting you two at some point." An eerie voice said from the darkness behind the counter. It was, of course, Olivander who seemed to materialise from the darkness although Sherlock had his suspicions as to how it was achieved. The elderly wandmaker gazed intensely at Sherlock for a moment.

"Mr Sherlock Holmes, Acacia and Cedar wood with a dragon heartstring from a Northern Fire Drake. 14 inches and excellent for defensive magic if I remember. One of my more specially made wands." Ollivander said and he directed Hadrian to hold his wand arm out. Sherlock nodded in acknowledgement. While the enchanted tape measured Hadiran, Olivander turned to fetch a few wand boxes.

"I remember when your mother came in for her wand, Mr Hadrian Holmes. 10 ¼ inches, willow with Unicorn tail hair, swishy and very good for charms. She would be proud at how you've flourished with your father. Now then, let's try this one: 11 inches Holly and Phoenix feather, nice and supple." Ollivander shooed the tape measure away and handed the wand to Hadrian to try. Red electric sparks shot out and destroyed a vase on the counter.

"No, not that one. That's _one_ of Albus Dumbledore's plots which are thankfully derailed. Try this one: 10 ½ inches Elm and Phoenix feather, strong but supple." Ollivander smiled, as Sherlock exchanged glances with Severus and Élodie. As soon as Hadrian touched the wand, he felt a stinging shock hit his hand and he dropped the wand with an exclamation.

"Definitely not _that_ core then, although the wood seems suitable. I wonder…" Ollivander mused as he caught the wand and replaced it in its box. He wandered back to the racks containing wand boxes and searched for a few minutes before pulling one out and blowing dust off of its cover.

"I created this wand many years ago, and it's considered one of my best. 13 ½ inches, Elm and Walnut blended with a core of a heartstring from a Rare Welsh Red dragon, a powerful wand which is also capable of great subtlety and extraordinary feats when under stress." Ollivander looked mysterious as he handed the wand to Hadrian, instantly a warmth spread through the boy with green, silver, blue and gold sparks shooting from the tip of the wand and repairing the vase on the counter. Ollivander clapped in delight.

"Perfect! I'd almost given up hope of finding someone suitable for it! Let's help your young lady friend." Ollivander smiled as he turned towards Hermione, Severus and Élodie.

"Ah! Severus Snape! 13 ¾ inches, Ebony and Walnut with a Common Welsh Green heartstring! I do not recognise your wife though, she must not have one of mine." Ollivander said.

"Non, my wand was made by Monsieur Andre Duval." Élodie replied with a smile.

"Ah, Monsieur Duval! I often find that he uses cores which can be rather temperamental if the wrong witch or wizard attempts to use it. I believe he tends to favour Veela, High Elf and Siren although I could be wrong." Ollivander mused as he set the tape measure measuring Hermione's wand arm before fetching a few wand boxes.

"Non, you are correct. My wand core is zat of a siren." Élodie replied with a smile.

"Ah, yes, from what I hear they are very good cores for charms and distraction magic although not so good for silent casting. Well, young lady, let's try you with this one first shall we? 10 inches, Ivy vine with Unicorn hair." Ollivander handed Hermione a wand and deactivated the tape measure. It turned out that Hermione was _not_ suited to either component of that wand. Nor was she suited to Holly or Oak as wand woods. Finally, she found her match in a 12 ½ inch wand made of Alder and Beech wood with the heartstring from an Antipodean Opaleye dragon as its core.

Finally done with the school shopping, both families arranged to meet up soon and they went their separate ways. The Snape family to pack for a holiday in France with Élodie's family, and the Holmes' to visit John's family.

Explaining Hadrian to John had been interesting when Sherlock had first received custody of him, but the ex-army doctor could see that fatherhood suited Sherlock. Mary adored her 'nephew' who was a perfect playmate for her and John's daughter, Lily. The two grew up as cousins and while Lily sometimes got on better with Hermione, she and Hadrian were still very close. That closeness was due to be tested soon as Lily was to go to Hogwarts rather than Beauxbatons. Both Sherlock and Mycroft had offered to get her a place at the French school, but Mary and John both insisted that they were fine, especially after Mary had revealed herself to be a witch who went to Hogwarts.

"According to Mum, there are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. She told me that she was a Slytherin while there which is the house for the cunning. She reckons that Dad would have been in Gryffindor, the house for the brave or a Hufflepuff which is for the hardworking. She says that your dad would have been in Ravenclaw if he'd gone to Hogwarts rather than Beauxbatons." Lily explained while she and Hadrian were talking in her room.

"So which one do you reckon you'll be in?" He asked. Lily thought for a few moments.

"Honestly, I think I'll be either a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin, it all depends on where the cut off points are for the attributes. I think I'd prefer to be a Ravenclaw though, according to Mum, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin is quite fierce." She replied.

Meanwhile, the adults were talking about Albus Dumbledore in the kitchen.

"Are you sure?" Mary asked, concern for her daughter flooding through her.

"That's what Ollivander said, that one of Dumbledore's plots has been derailed. I suspect that Dumbledore has somehow put a tracker on that particular wand as he will have realised now that Petunia, Vernon and Dudley have moved and that Hadrian hasn't lived with them for years." Sherlock nodded, taking a sip of tea.

"Will Lily be alright there?" John asked, looking worried.

"As long as Dumbledore doesn't realise her connection to Hadrian, she'll be fine. But just in case, I'll ask Mycroft to contact an acquaintance of his. Lucius Malfoy has a son who'll be going to Hogwarts this year. He'll keep an eye out for her." Sherlock replied, pulling out his phone and texting his brother with the request. It wasn't long before Mycroft replied that he would ask Lucius but the Malfoy lord would probably wish to meet the family first.

Weeks later, when the Malfoy family met the Watsons, Draco and Lily hit it off straight away. Part of that could have been that they shared a common intelligence or it could have been that, while Lily didn't know much about Dragons (Draco's favourite creature), she was willing to learn as much as she could about them. Adding Hadrian and Hermione to the mix just aided the friendship between the children and Lucius expressed a sense of pleasure over his best friend's daughter getting along with his own son.

The children didn't realise it, but the meeting created an opportunity for the adults to create an alliance. True, the Malfoy family had been on the side of the Dark Lord but when Sherlock revealed what Hadrian remembered about the night his mother died and Lily Evans' plans to leave James for him, Lucius agreed that an alliance would be a fine idea, especially as it would create an extra layer of protection for each of the children.

Far too soon for the children's liking, the 1st of September soon rolled around and with it came the time for them to separate and go to school. Each of them promised to write regularly and Lily and Draco promised to tell their friends what houses they were in immediately. Hermione and Hadrian didn't start school until the next week so they were going to spend some time with Élodie's family as it would be easier for them to get to school that way. The Watsons and the Malfoys met each other at Kings Cross but before they could go through the barrier, they encountered a family whom Sherlock had warned them about. Molly Weasley (or as Lily and Draco resolved to call her 'Milly Wezley') seemed to be looking about intently for someone, muttering about how Dumbledore had told her that he would be there. But two of her children, a set of twins, were giving her a disgusted look for what she was saying as did a little blonde girl who was with them. Finally, the twins had enough and turned to go through the barrier.

"Fred! George! Where do you think you're going?!" She screeched, turning to glare at them.

"We're going to find Lee. He wanted to show us something before the train left." One of them replied, looking mutinous.

"Oh no you don't! Professor Dumbledore told us to find Harry and align him with our family before he gets to Hogwarts." The harpy screeched again.

"Come off it! According to you, Ron and Ginny are the ones who'll be most closely linked with him, so why is it _that_ important that we stay here?" The other one asked, a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I suppose you two can go. But mind you don't get in the way of Ron and Ginny getting to know Harry Potter. Ginny needs to get to know her future husband and Ron needs to become the boy's best friend. And take Luna with you!" Molly replied, allowing her twins to go. What none of the other Weasleys saw were the matching sneers on the twins' faces as they glanced one final time at their family before they swiftly went through the barrier, each of them helping the blonde girl through as well. The Watsons and the Malfoys quickly pushed past the obnoxious woman who glared at them for daring to want to get to the platform but didn't try to move out of their way. As soon as they reached the platform, John grasped Lily's shoulder to stop her getting swept away by the crowd of people and Draco stepped closer to his father to prevent the same. It didn't take long for them to get near the train and, as the whistle to remind the children to board went, the Malfoy and Watson parents gave their children a final hug and some final advice before helping them to board the train. Draco and Lily found an empty compartment and soon settled down to wait for the train to leave. Almost as soon as it set off, their compartment door opened and the two youngest Weasleys poked their heads in. Upon seeing Draco sat with Lily they both sneered.

"Why're you sat with _Malfoy_? Don't you know that he's scum?" The boy asked with a sneer at Draco.

"Excuse me?" Lily asked, almost incredulous at his rudeness.

"Yeah, he's gonna be a Slytherin and they're all evil scum!" The boy added while the girl looked uninterested.

"Actually, my mother was a Slytherin so I'll thank you not to insult her." Lily snapped, looking cross.

"It's a proven fact that all Slytherins are evil and hate anything to do with Muggles! You must hate them too then!" The boy snarled, turning his hatred on Lily.

"Wrong, I'm afraid! My father is a Muggle. Maybe you should get your facts straight before slandering people with your bigotist crap!" Lily snarled, glaring at the boy who turned red. His sister rolled her eyes.

"Let's just go Ron, they're not worth our time. Harry's not here and I doubt either of them know where he is." She said, pulling on her brother's arm.

"You're right Ginny, we don't need to waste our time on two Snakes!" Ron replied, before following Ginny away. Lily and Draco just looked at each other in surprise, almost unbelieving that someone could be so stupid.

Shortly after, there was a tap on the door and the Weasley twins entered with Luna following nervously.

"Hi, you don't know us but we just wanted to say sorry for our siblings. We overheard them boasting about insulting the two of you. I'm Fred and this is my brother George. Behind us is Luna Lovegood." One of the twins said politely.

"A pleasure to meet someone who actually _has_ manners! Why don't you three sit with us." Lily smiled, gesturing to the spare seats.

"We would, but Fred and I need to find out if our moronic siblings have actually found Harry Potter and send someone to rescue him is necessary. But if it's ok, could we leave Luna here? If Ron and Ginny start anything with us then we don't want her getting hurt by them." George smiled back.

"Sure, but I doubt your siblings would have found him." Draco said, smiling welcomingly at Luna. Lily and Draco found Luna to be a bit shy but once she warmed to them she began chatting to them about her father and how she would search for unusual creatures with him most holidays.

"Although we couldn't this year as Daddy isn't well. That's why I'm coming to Hogwarts a year early, he's spending most of his time in St. Mungo's and there's noone to look after me." Luna said, sadness tingin her voice. Neither of the others said anything but Lily hugged Luna. Fred and George soon came back and joined them.

"We found Ron and Ginny, they were sat on their own complaining that Harry didn't seem to be anywhere on the train. Do you two know something?" Fred asked after shutting the door and putting a silencing charm on it. Lily and Draco looked at each other before grinning.

"Well, I _might_ know that Harry Potter never really existed. And I _might_ know that James Potter was never his father. And I _might_ know that his real father has arranged for him to go to Beauxbatons." Lily grinned, enjoying the shock on the twins' and Luna's faces. Draco soon joined in.

"And I _might_ know that he's going there with one of his cousins. And I _might_ be able to tell you where his other cousin is." The blonde boy said slyly.

"Oh, mysterious ones…"

"...tell us your…"

"...secrets. We Promise…"

"...not to tell!" The twins alternated who spoke, making Lily and Luna giggle while Draco blinked in surprise.

"Well, my parents are close family friends with Hadrian's father so we grew up as cousins along with Hermione, his other cousin. Hadrian is Harry's real name." Lily explained with a smile.

"Sherlock's great! He takes Hadrian with him when he has to work so he actually gets to go to crime scenes! He showed us some photos this summer as he couldn't take all of us!" Draco grinned. In that week when all the kids stayed at Baker Street, Sherlock had become one of Draco's favourite adults.

"Sherlock...where have I heard that name before?" Fred asked musingly.

"Uncle Sherlock works as a Consulting Detective in the Muggle world." Lily replied. Shock and awe flooded the twins' faces.

"You know Sherlock Holmes! His observation skills are legendary! We use them all the time to help with pranks!" George said excitedly. After the revelations, the time passed quickly and quietly. When the sweet trolley arrived, Lily and Draco bought enough sweets to share with their new friends.

While they were laughing and swapping chocolate frog cards, there was another knock on the door.

"Please don't let it be Ron or Ginny!" Lily said quietly. The door opened to reveal an upset looking boy with a round face.

"Have any of you seen a toad? I've lost mine!" The boy asked, sniffing slightly and tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Calm down, we've not seen one but I'm sure we can find him." Lily said soothingly while Draco encouraged the boy to sit down and handed him a chocolate frog. Fred and George excused themselves to find their older brother, Percy, who they explained was a prefect and would have to help find the frog in some way.

The boy introduced himself as Neville Longbottom and, while nervous when Draco introduced himself, soon opened up and talked with the others although his concern over losing his toad was still there. Soon, Fred and George returned with an indignantly croaking toad.

"Trevor!" Neville cried, overjoyed that it had turned up.

"No problem mate…"

"...got Percy to…"

"...Summon him. Turns…"

"...out he was…"

"...with Ginny and…"

"...Ron." The twins explained in their unusual way of speaking.

Early on the 2nd of September, Hadrian and Hermione received letters from Draco and Lily at the breakfast table with Élodie's parents. Eagerly, the two finished their breakfast and once they were allowed to leave the table they rushed to the sunroom to read their letters.

_**Dear Hadrian and Hermione,**_

_**We hope you're both enjoying your holiday before school starts for you. Hogwarts is amazing! It's a huge castle and filled with ghosts, paintings and moving staircases! As promised, we'll tell you both which house we got in. Draco is in Slytherin (like there was any doubt!) and I'm a Ravenclaw.**_

_**I'm sure that you both will have been told that we encountered the Weasley family as we were heading to the platform. Well, on the train we had a bit of a run in with the youngest two, Ronald and Ginevra. They were looking for you Hadrian, although they were referring to you by that false name of yours. Shortly after, we were joined by their brothers, the twins Fred and George, with a family friend, Luna Lovegood. The twins are really cool, and they've heard of your dad because of The Work. They apologised for their idiotic siblings and asked if Luna could stay with us while they went to see if they needed to 'rescue' you. They were more than a bit surprised that they didn't and we alluded to the truth, I believe you both will probably get a letter from them too in the next couple of days for ideas on pranks for their siblings. Luna also became a Ravenclaw which I'm glad for, she's actually a year younger than all of us (as is Ginevra) but Luna's father is unwell so she was allowed to come a year earlier. Apparently Dumbledore persuaded the Governors to allow Ginevra to start at the same time so that Luna would have a friend her own age, but Ginevra ditched her!**_

_**I soon found some of the older Ravenclaws trying to pick on Luna and I set them straight using some of those classes that dad made me take. And the best part is, Professor Flitwick (the Charms professor and the Head of Ravenclaw) didn't take any points when he found out why I broke Marietta Edgecombe's nose! Anyway, Luna and I are sharing a room so it means that none of those bullies can get into Luna's stuff.**_

_**We also made friends with a boy named Neville Longbottom when he came to us asking for help in finding his toad. Bless Neville, he's really nice but he's very shy. Hopefully we can help him come out of his shell and be a bit more confident in his abilities, he's fantastic with Herbology and we were talking for ages about the subject once he'd joined us on the train. Neville ended up in Hufflepuff and you can see why, he's so hardworking and loyal. With Fred and George in Gryffindor, our friendship group seems to have all the Houses covered, hopefully we can end this silly rivalry between the houses. I'd better go now, it won't be long until lessons begin.**_

_**Take care you two!**_

_**Love**_

_**Lily**_

Draco's letter was much the same although he didn't have any issues with potential bullies. Both Hadrian and Hermione were glad that they were going to Beauxbatons and so wouldn't have to deal with the duo who were determined to help Dumbledore. They looked forward to hearing from the twins, Luna and Neville, hoping that the four would help look after Lily and Draco at Hogwarts.

A few days later, Hadrian and Hermione were on their way to Beauxbatons with their parents and feeling the same nerves that their friends had felt the previous week. Madame Maxime greeted the families as was her custom and requested a young girl to be Hadrian and Hermione's 'buddy' for the first few weeks, just to make sure that they learned the school properly. Fleur Delacour was thirteen and part-veela. She was pleased that the two spoke fluent French and had no need of translation charms. While more common for pupils to start at aged eight to gain an understanding of the basics, the fact that Hadrian and Hermione had been taught them at home was by no means unusual and, after taking a test to prove that they knew the basics sufficiently, their enrollment in the French school was completed. Beauxbatons had no House system, you simply stayed with your year group but were encouraged to make friends with other years too. So when Hadrian and Hermione wrote home to say that they had become friends with Fleur and her younger sister Gabrielle it was no surprise to anyone, especially as Alexandre and Apolline Delacour had both been on fairly good terms with Sherlock and Élodie while they were at the school.

Hadrian and Hermione settled in well and loved studying at the school, especially as there were more courses on offer compared to Hogwarts. They enjoyed writing to their friends at Hogwarts and were pleased when plans were made for Luna to stay with Lily and the twins to stay with Draco for Christmas as they could all meet up over Christmas. Even better, Augusta Longbottom allowed Neville to visit too, as she was so pleased that he was making friends that she didn't care that one of the families was 'dark'.

Albus Dumbledore paced his office during the Christmas holiday, rage flooding through him. Not only had the Dursleys moved years before, after finding a new home for Harry, but the boy hadn't even shown up to Hogwarts and all letters to him were returned unopened. The only monitor that he had working on the boy was the life-signs one '_At least I know he's alive._' Dumbledore thought with a sigh.

Molly Weasley was fuming when she found out that Harry Potter hadn't turned up, especially when Dumbledore had found out from the Goblins that Harry's biological father was alive and that he was with him. That was all they would tell Dumbledore and he had to threaten to use his powers as Chief of the Wizengamot to even find that out. Molly, upon hearing that Harry would be permanently out of their control, had decided that Ginny needed someone else to become betrothed to and set her sights rather high. She'd told Dumbledore that she intended for her daughter to marry the Holmes scion and that she expected Dumbledore to help persuade the family.

Dumbledore winced, he had met Mycroft Holmes, the boy's uncle, numerous times and knew that the man's nickname 'the Iceman' was well deserved. Had the Holmes family traditionally attended Hogwarts, he knew that Mycroft Holmes would have been a Slytherin for sure. When Harry had failed to turn up, the Ministry began calling for an enquiry into where he was. Things were not going well for Dumbledore...


	4. Chapter 4

_**Family Secrets**_

_Hey guys, so this is going to be a short AN as a friend of mine suggested that I put all thanks at the bottom which makes a lot of sense. Although I've since lost the list I'd compiled so I'm going to have to skip it for this chapter so:_

_Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. Also thanks to everyone who's favourited and followed me._

_No one got the movie reference :-( _

_It __**was**_ _a bit obscure though so I can't be too harsh. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular character in BBC's 'Sherlock' but he also did the voice of Smaug in 'The Hobbit' movies and Smaug was a Fire Drake from the North, hence Sherlock's wand core._

_There's now a poll up on my profile for who you'd like Hadrian to be paired with so please go and take the poll._

_I'll be skipping ahead to their 4th year after this chapter as that's when the events will properly begin._

_Anything you recognise is not mine. There's some sections in italics which are quotes from one of the books, you'll know which one when you see it._

_**Chapter 4**_

Even though Hadrian and Hermione had settled in well at Beauxbatons, they still looked forward to being home for Christmas. While they had stayed with family and friends overnight, it was the longest either of them had been away from their families and they both found that they missed them. The added bonus was that they would be meeting Luna and the twins in person for the first time too. The letters from the three had put them firmly as friends to the entire group (although Lily explained that she felt like Luna was a little sister) and they had enjoyed writing to each other. Things with the twins' mother had gotten more tense as the months had gone on, their friendship with Draco was too much for her. When she found out that they had been invited to the Malfoys' for Christmas, she threatened to disown them if they didn't refuse. According to the twins, their older brother Bill was the Prewitt heir (from their mother's side of the family) and he secretly added them to the Prewitt family just in case. But it was unneeded, when Molly Weasley found out that the Malfoys would be meeting up with the Holmes family, she insisted that they help with her plan to marry Ginny off to Hadrian. While they didn't refuse in so many words (not wanting to receive another Howler from her) they pointed out that this would be the first time they met Hadrian and it would be considered rude to push such a matter.

Hadrian, when he found out about Molly's plans, was less than impressed. He stated that the idea of being in a relationship with Ginny disgusted him as she looked far too like his mother for his tastes. When he and Hermione returned home, they spent ages agonising over what to get the twins for Christmas, in the end, Hermione chose to get them a Muggle Chemistry set each as it was something which they never would have been given before. Hadrian, on the other hand, decided to get them a collection of forensic kits between them as they had expressed an interest in what his father did for a living. This prompted the rest of their friends to get gifts along a similar line of thought. Draco got them a camera and the accessories to catalogue any 'evidence' they found, Lily had persuaded her parents to help her get them a microscope and they had also helped Luna to purchase a book on Forensic Science and a magnifying glass. Even better for the twins, their older brothers, Bill and Charlie, had done a bit of digging after letters from them stating their new obsession and bought some accessories to go with the forensics kits. Luna was harder to buy for but with some help from Élodie, Mary, and Narcissa Malfoy, they gathered a selection of clothes, shoes and accessories for her.

When the twins first met Hadrian, they were a little nervous but the boys were soon put at ease by him stating that he was aware that they had no wish to help their mother. That Christmas turned out to be one of the best that Luna and the twins had ever had, they weren't treated like guests, they were treated as if they were part of the family and belonged there just as much as everyone else.

The only downside was that Molly had been sending them letters every other day in her quest to try and force them to help her arrange a match between Hadrian and Ginevra. Things finally came to a head on New Years Day when Molly actually sent a Howler to the twins, although she was careful not to mention her plan.

"**THE PAIR OF YOU NEED TO REMEMBER YOUR FAMILY OBLIGATIONS, I HAVE ASKED YOU TO DO SOMETHING AND YET YOU ARE IGNORING ME! YOU TWO ARE COMPLETE DISGRACES AND I AM ASHAMED TO CALL YOU MY SONS. IF YOU DON'T START TOEING THE LINE, I WILL ENSURE THAT YOU'RE DISINHERITED AND EXPELLED FROM HOGWARTS!**" The twins were mortified by their 'mother's' attitude although the Malfoys assured them that they didn't think any less of the twins for having such a mother.

"Thank you but…"

"...it might be time to…"

"...contact our older brother, Bill. He…"

"...said that we could…"

"...be added to the Prewitt…"

"...family if _**she**_ tried…"

"...anything like this." The twins smiled at their hosts. They couldn't understand why their parents were so antagonistic towards the Malfoys, all of them had been perfectly pleasant to the pair of them.

Bill, upon reading the letter from the twins was shocked at how far their mother would go to try and force someone to marry into their family. He reassured the twins that they would always be a part of the Prewitt family thanks to him, and there was nothing that their mother could do to change that as he was the current head of the Prewitt family.

Hadrian and the others were just as shocked, especially when they found out that Molly had threatened to have them expelled from their school.

Once they knew that they were safe and would be able to return to school, the twins sent a letter back to their 'mother' disowning themselves from the Weasley line. Bill also sent a letter, making it clear that the twins were now legally Prewitts, and that as he had taken over the Prewitt lordship, they were legally his heirs. Molly had no say over that, not that she gave up easily.

When everyone returned to school, Hadrian and Hermione promising to keep in touch with their new friends, news travelled around fast around Hogwarts about the twins becoming the Prewitt heirs and leaving the Weasley family. Ron and Ginny attempted to try and harass the two but were soon moved on by the twins' other friends. Percy expressed some disappointment that the two had left their parents behind but otherwise left them to it.

Upon finding out that using the twins as an avenue to Hadrian had been pulled away from her, Molly tried sending a letter in an attempt to persuade that both the Malfoy and Snape families were Dark and that it would be best for the Holmes' to stop associating with them and to transfer Hadrian to Hogwarts where he would be 'safe'. Both Mycroft and Sherlock had openly laughed at that, surprising not just the Watsons, but also Sally Donovan who had come round with paperwork for Greg who was resting at home with his husband after an injury in the line of duty. Sally had recently been discovered to be the aunt of one of the first year Gryffindors.

"It is merely an idiotic woman attempting to force her daughter upon my nephew. She seems almost desperate." Mycroft replied in answer to their inquiries.

_**Time skip to 4th Year.**_

Lily Watson was practically running from the library with her friends to reach the entrance hall in time. The Tri-WIzard Tournament was being held at Hogwarts and the other schools involved were about to arrive. But that wasn't what was exciting Lily, Hadrian and Hermione were part of the Beauxbatons contingent and she couldn't wait to see them again. Luna was already waiting for her when she got there as were their friends, Pansy, Daphne, Padma, Blaise, Draco, Neville and Seamus.

"We thought you were going to miss it Lily!" Padma grinned as they hurried outside.

"I got caught up in the library. Besides, you know that my cousins are arriving today, that's not something I'd ever miss!" Lily replied, sticking her tongue out. Lily made sure that Luna was next to her and could see alright. Two years previously, Luna's father had finally succumbed to his illness and died. John and Mary Watson had quickly adopted the lost young girl even though they also had a five year old son. Becoming part of the Watson family had done wonders for Luna, just the fact that they wanted her had caused her to blossom, as had being both an older and younger sibling.

_It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. _Lily shivered in anticipation, much to the amusement of their friends, although they were all excited to see Hadrian and Hermione too. The group of friends had all met them during the summer holidays after First year while visiting Lily and all of them were close to the two. Whispering started as the students all began to wonder where the other schools were and how they were getting there.

_And then Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!" _

_"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions. "There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest. Something large, much larger than a broomstick - or, indeed, a hundred broomsticks - was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time._

_"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely._

_"Don't be stupid. . . it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey._

_Dennis's guess was closer. . . . As the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant._

_The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes. _

There only just _time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened._

_A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully._

_A shining, high-heeled black shoe _emerged _from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled -followed, almost immediately, by the largest woman _many of the students had ever seen. _The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped._

_As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman._

_Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it._

_"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."_

_"Dumbly-dorr," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"_

_"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore._

_"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her._

Behind Madame Maxime was a collection of boys and girls in pale blue robes, shivering in the cold. None of them were wearing cloaks but a few seemed to have cast warming charms on themselves as they were unaffected by the difference in temperature. Among that small number was Hadrian, Hermione and a tall blonde girl who seemed to be part-veela, no doubt remained in Lily's mind that she was Fleur from her cousins' descriptions.

_"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked._

_"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"_

_"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"_

_"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."_

_"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong. . . ."_

_"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling._

_"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"_

_"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing._

_"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps. _As they passed, Hadrian winked at Lily in the same manner that her Uncle Sherlock was wont to do. Hermione waved lightly and Fleur nodded politely to them as she hadn't formally met them yet.

_They stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky._

_For a few minutes, the silence was broken only by Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping. But then - "Can you hear something?" _someone said.

_A loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed._

_"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"_

_From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. ._

_What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool. . . _and then Lily _saw the rigging..._

_"It's a mast!" _she _said to _her friends and they nodded in agreement, recognising the rigging from the trips that Mary Watson had taken them on.

_Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank._

_People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. _They all seemed to be heavily built but it soon became apparent that _their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair._

_"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"_

_"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own._

_"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good.. . . Viktor, come along, into the warmth. . . you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."_

_Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed,_ Draco, Seamus and Blaise, the Quidditch obsessed members of their group of friends, gasped.

"That's Viktor Krum!" Seamus whispered to Lily as she seemed a bit bemused by their reaction.

"I had no idea that he was still at school." Draco nodded _as they recrossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, _when they reached there they all headed for their tables although Seamus nudged Neville to get him to leave some room for Krum and the Durmstrang students. Not quickly enough though as they opted to sit at the Slytherin table, much to his disappointment and Draco and Blaise's joy. _The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were_, for the most part, _looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads._

Hadrian, Hermione and Fleur however seemed perfectly comfortable and were rolling their eyes at their schoolmates antics. Lily rushed over with Luna and Padma to sit with them before the seats were taken.

"Bonjour Lily, Luna, Padma, ça va?" Hadrian grinned, kissing her on the cheek.

"Oui, je suis bien, merci. Et toi?" Lily replied in flawless French, surprising many of the Hogwarts students around her.

"Moi aussi. Might I introduce Mademoiselle Fleur Delacour, one of our dear friends." Hadrian replied, switching effortlessly into English halfway through, further surprising the surrounding Hogwarts students with his RP English pronunciation.

"Bonjour Fleur. We've heard so much about you. Welcome to Hogwarts." Lily smiled at the older girl.

"Merci, I 'ave also 'eard much about you and your friends. 'Adrian and 'Ermione speak of you often." Fleur smiled back in reply. They chatted about a few inconsequential things for a few moments as the last students took their places.

_When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall._

_"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."_

_One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh. _She stopped and looked down when Fleur glared at the girl for her rudeness.

_"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"_

_The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them._

_The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep blood red._

_Once the golden plates had been wiped clean _after dessert_, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. _Lily grinned at Hadrian in anticipation.

_"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket_, _just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."_

_There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemius Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced._

'What a grumpy person.' Lily thought and by the looks on her friends' faces it was clear that they thought so too.

_"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."_

_At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."_

_Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; _some of the younger Hogwarts students stood on their seats for a better view.

_"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways.. their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."_

_At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing._

_"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."_

_Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall._

_"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete._

_"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line._

_"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."_

At the dismissal from Dumbledore, all the students including the visiting ones stood to leave.

"An age line would work in theory, however, there's some clear issues with it." Hadrian muttered to Lily.

"Oui, eet eez true. A younger student would only 'ave to ask an older one to place zair name in for zem to bypass ze line." Fleur agreed, looking astonished that such a flimsy method was being used.

"There's also the issue that they could just levitate the name over the line." Hermione wrinkled her nose at the stupidity.

"Trust me, you don't have to tell me how dumb our headmaster is." Lily sighed to them.

"If you think he's so dumb, then maybe you should just leave you stupid slut!" A high-pitched and whiny voice piped up from behind them. They turned to see a young girl of about Luna's age with red hair dressed in a Gryffindor uniform and Lily internally sighed as she realised that GInny Weasley was about to make a nuisance of herself. The girl was clearly trying to act older than she was and, rather than making herself attractive, it only served to make herself look ridiculous.

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from insulting my cousin." Hadrian said coldly, a glint in his eye that reminded Lily of Uncle Sherlock's protectiveness.

"You're Hadrian Holmes aren't you? I'm Ginny Weasley. If you wanted, I'm sure I could persuade our headmaster to let you stay in Gryffindor Tower. WE could...get to know one another better." The girl ignored Hadrian's tone and moved uncomfortably close to him, batting her obviously fake eyelashes while her two cronies looked on. Lily idly wondered if Padma's parents knew how much make up their other daughter, Parvati, wore when in school. Then again, she and Lavender Brown had always followed Ginny's lead.

"I am disinclined to acquiescence to your request, not only are all visiting students to stay with their fellows, but I do not know who you are. I am, however, well aware of how much of a nuisance your mother has been towards my father and uncle with regards to you." Hadrian replied just as coldly.

"My mother's only trying to make sure that you end up with a suitable bride, what's so wrong with that!" Ginny pouted at not having her way.

"Easy, she's not _**my**_ mother!" Hadrian replied. Fake tears forced their way into Ginny's eyes and her lower lip wobbled slightly.

"Are you really going to make a girl younger than you cry?" She asked in a quivering voice.

"Let's see, youngest child of seven, only daughter. Certainly the mother's favourite, possibly the father's, no wait, definitely only the mother's favourite. Used to getting whatever you want from your mother, often at the expense of your siblings except the next one in age. You like to act older than you are in the hopes that other students will forget how young you are and will respond to your advances.

"A false sense of entitlement, you believe that you're some sort of princess and should be allowed to do whatever you want and that rules don't apply to you. You're highly jealous, not overly intelligent, certainly not when compared to me, and have been raised to believe that you must marry someone who's rich and become a sort of broodmare mixed with a trophy wife for them." Hadrian rattled off every deduction he'd made about her within the few short seconds that he'd first seen her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily could see not only Madame Maxime but also Dumbledore watching the confrontation.

"How could you be so mean to her? Ginny's only trying to make sure that some slut like the three stood next to you don't trap you!" Parvati snarled angrily. This only served to make Hadrian turn his attention to her.

"Eldest daughter of twins, sister is much more intelligent than you so gets more of your parents attention. Because of this you overcompensate in a bid to gain any sort of attention for yourself. Not quite as money grabbing as your 'friend' but you wouldn't mind marrying well and not having to work to support yourself.

"Your family is originally from India, you moved to this country when you were three or four and you regularly take trips to visit family, certainly every summer, maybe during winter too. Your sister also has the most attention there, increasing your jealousy. Like your 'friend' you think of yourself as a princess and loath anyone who dispels that notion. You call other girls 'sluts' to hide the fact that you and your friends are skirting dangerously close to that definition yourselves." Hadrian quickly deduced her as well, causing her jaw to drop and Padma to give a small smile at Lily. Lavender then proved that she had even less wit than the others.

"You're just some sort of...FREAK!" She screeched and the difference in Hadrian's manner was easily seen.

"Only child, used to be 'Daddy's Little Princess' until they found out that you're a witch. Father is a strict Christian who really doesn't approve of magic, like your 'friend' you overcompensate by acting out as you no longer receive any positive attention. You dislike the notion that anyone is better than you in any way, a remnant of you privileged upbringing, and so you try to bring those people that threaten the view that you're superior down to your level.

"The fact that your mind immediately sprung to the word 'Freak' as a way to insult me tells me that you've been called it quite often yourself, much to your annoyance. You care too much about your appearance and are of the rather incorrect assumption that the more makeup you wear the better it is. You're family is rather well-off in the mundane world but your father is threatening to cut you off due to your behaviour so you are also desperately looking for a rich husband to take care of you.

"You have a distinct lack of common sense but there could still be hope for you if you would only take the time to think through your actions. But you are so stupid that you would rather waste what little potential you do have in order to keep some friends who are not likely to help you better yourself in anyway." Hadrian's voice was cold and sharp as he verbally laid into Lavender. The girl's eyes went wider and wider until it looked to Lily like she was attempting to resemble a cartoon character. As he finished his final words, Dumbledore stepped forward.

He hoped that by embarrassing the boy, that he could gain some measure of control over his father. With the right leverage, Dumbledore was sure that he could persuade Mr Holmes that a marriage contract between Hadrian and Ginevra Weasley would be the best thing. Molly was still harping on about it to him, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have the scion of an old Pureblood family to be aligned with one of his allies. The brat would have to be forced to be civil and attentive to Ginevra but that wouldn't be too hard with potions.

"Hadrian, my boy. I'm afraid that I must ask you to apologise to the young ladies. They were only trying to welcome you to Hogwarts, such a reaction to them is unacceptable. In order to foster a feeling of goodwill with them, I shall make arrangements for you to stay in the Gryffindor dorms." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling even though he had a disappointed look on his face. Ginevra, Parvati and Lavender all had smug looks on their faces, although Lavender looked a little pensive too.

"Firstly Headmaster Dumbledore, I am not 'your boy' and as such I would appreciate it if you would refer to me in the proper manner and not with undue familiarity.

"Secondly, you have asked me to apologise but are you going to make them apologise for the insults to my friends and family?

"And thirdly, I must decline to stay in accommodation which _**you**_ provide." Hadrian's manner was just as cold as before but his manner was stiff and formal.

"I heard no insults, and I'm afraid that I must insist, surely you will enjoy staying in Gryffindor Tower." Dumbledore thought that he was going to get his way, but he hadn't planned on Madame Maxime making her presence known.

"What eez zis Dumbly-dorr? I was stood ze same distance from zem as you were and I clearly 'eard zem insult not only two of my students but also two of your own and you say zat you will not make zem apologise for eet! On top of zat, you are blatantly trying to bend ze rules of ze agreement zat was reached between our three schools when we agreed to come 'ere for zis tournament for your own ends!" Madame Maxime was furious, especially as Mycroft had insisted that Dumbledore be kept away from Hadrian as much as possible. By now a crowd had gathered and were watching Dumbledore's attempts to take control of a situation which he had caused.

"My dear Madame Maxime…" He started before the angry French-woman interrupted him once more.

"Non! I understand why you insisted on zis tournament, you wanted to 'ave a way to 'ave some contact wiz a pupil who denied a place 'ere in favor of my school! I zink zat I will contact his oncle Mycroft, a very dear friend of mine, about zis matter." She shouted. Dumbledore cowered away from the large and angry woman, realising too late that he had badly miscalculated.

"Lord Holmes has no authority in this school." Dumbledore said, attempting to wrest control back.

"Zat may be true but 'e eez good friends wiz several of ze Governors of zis school. Not only zat, but 'e 'olds a place on your assemblée de la magie. I am sure zat 'e can raise certain questions about why you are attempting to influence my student." Madame Maxime said, her eyes narrowed as Dumbledore paled at the implication. With that final announcement, the Beauxbatons students and faculty swept off to their accommodation while Padma, Luna and Lily headed back to their dorms. Ginevra narrowed her eyes and made her way to the Owlry to send a letter to her mother. Their plan to entice Hadrian Holmes into a betrothal contract had suffered some setbacks but she thought that she could get it back on track with some help from her mother.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Family Secrets**_

_There will actually be 'thank you' s at the bottom of this chapter this time as I haven't lost them!_

_There's a poll on my profile for this story now about potential pairings for Hadrian if you guys wouldn't mind filling it out. It'll be open until chapter 7 is up (which I still need to write)_

_A shout out to dinkypin (not sure what you're account name is on here…), to the rest of the Sherlock Sheep, and to Vicky!_

_This chapter is dedicated to Kai19 because you were pretty much spot on with the letter you suggested in the review. To the point that I'm not even going to write one in the story so if anyone wants an idea of what Ginny's going to write to her mum, just read Kai's review._

_Anything within the body of this story that actually comes from an established text will be in italics._

_Anything you recognise is not mine._

_**Chapter 5**_

Ginny watched the school owl that she'd used flap its way away from the castle and towards Devon bearing a rather indignant letter for her mum. She was determined to 'catch' Hadrian Holmes, no matter what. Ever since she was small, her mum had told her that she would have a rich husband who adored her. At first she'd set her sights on Harry Potter, the idea of not only being 'Lady Potter' but also 'Mrs Boy-Who-Lived' appealed to her sense of vanity however when it was discovered that he had vanished without a trace, she was more than willing to switch to Hadrian Holmes, being 'Lady Holmes' was just as good as being 'Lady Potter', especially since the Holmes family also had contacts within the Muggle world which would allow her to have the best of everything from both worlds.

Ginny just hoped that her mother had a strong enough love potion…

_***FS***_

Parvati was examining her face in the mirror of her dormitory bathroom, she'd always known that she was pretty but Hadrian Holmes seemed completely uninterested in any of the girls he was surrounded by. Ginny liked to think that she was the prettiest of all the girls in the school but Parvati thought that **she** was much prettier. Ginny looked like too much of a little girl in Parvati's opinion. No, to her mind there was only one candidate for Lady Holmes and the Wizarding world would have to get used to her new status.

She pulled her long black hair back and admired the effect that piling it on top of her head had. She felt that it made her look so much more elegant and she pinned it in place before experimenting with her make up. Ginny would simply have to get used to the disappointment.

_***FS***_

Lavender sat in her bed, tears filling her big blue eyes as she reflected on her life. She had noticed her father being more short tempered with her when he found out that she was a witch, and she could honestly admit that when that had started she'd changed. She wondered if her father was threatening to disinherit her because she had magic or if it was because of her attitude.

She understood that it had been a mistake to call Hadrian a freak, she was more than aware of who his father was in the Muggle world and should have guessed how he would react to that particular insult. Lavender sighed. She had a couple of letters to write and she wasn't sure which response she was dreading more, the one from her father or the one from Hadrian Holmes.

_***FS***_

Rather than having breakfast with the rest of their Beauxbatons companions, Hadrian, Hermione and Fleur had received permission to eat at the Ravenclaw table with Lily and her friends. Seamus' response to Fleur caused a great deal of amusement among the group of friends and even the quarter-Veela had to admit that his stunned expression was funny, especially when followed by his expression of annoyance as he managed to put his elbow in a bowl of porridge.

When the Owl post arrived, Hadrian received the expected letters from his father and Uncle Mycroft. Madame Maxime had been true to her threat and had written to Mycroft the previous night who had contacted Sherlock. Both men wanted to ensure that Hadrian was alright and warn him that Dumbledore, Ginny and Molly Weasley were likely to try something else as that first attempt had failed. But it was the letter from Lavender Brown which surprised him. Her apology was clearly sent off her own initiative and it was also clear that Dumbledore and her friends had no idea that she'd sent it. When he looked up, Hadrian could see that Lavender was watching him anxiously for some sign that her apology was being taken in the way that she hoped, as a sign that she sincerely recognised that she had been in the wrong. A short nod from Hadrian had relief cross her expression and she nodded back before turning back to her breakfast.

Lily and the others from Hogwarts were worried that it was some sort of trick but Hadrian quickly reassured them.

"She's sincere in her sentiments, it would appear that my words last night caused her to think, unlike her moronic friends, sorry Padma I know that one of them's your sister." He said as he helped himself to fresh fruit and toast.

"I wonder if she'll stop hanging out with them then? And don't worry about it Hadrian, I've expressed too much exasperation over my twin's attitude to really care any more." Padma wondered, glancing over at where Ginny and Parvati were sat giggling with their heads together over a package that the Weasleys' owl had brought the redheaded girl.

"Oo knows, at ze very least, it means zat zere is one less empty 'eaded girl oo wants 'Adrien to marry 'er!" Fleur replied glaring lightly at Ginny and Parvati.

_***FS***_

The rest of the day passed easily. Because the other schools had arrived on a Friday, they had the entire day to socialise with Lily and the others from Hogwarts during their Hogsmeade weekend. It was a wonderful day, as Lily introduced them to more Hogwarts students that she was friendly with. One of them, a seventh year named Cedric Diggory, suddenly hid under the table in the Three Broomsticks as a somewhat pretty girl entered the pub and looked around frantically. Upon seeing their group she made her way over.

"Oi! Watson, where's Cedric?" She scowled, dislike shining in her eyes.

"Do you see him here Chang? Why ask us if we know where he is?" Lily replied, a scowl on her face. Cho believed that she was the most pretty girl in Ravenclaw, if not the school, and had decided early on that Cedric Diggory was the person that she should marry. Unfortunately, this inflated sense of her own beauty meant that Cho tried to pick on Lily and Luna when they were younger as she recognised that the two girls were very pretty. The only effect this had was that Cedric decided that she was the last girl he would ever marry. It didn't stop Cho's persistence however.

After they had finished enjoying themselves in Hogsmeade, Madame Maxime was happy for the Hogwarts contingent to be shown around the Beauxbatons accommodation. Dumbledore was less pleased but there was little that he could do as he had insisted that this would improve international relations. In reality he was hoping that Hadrian Holmes could be persuaded to transfer to Hogwarts where he would then be under Dumbledore's influence. The headmaster knew that Mycroft Holmes, the current Lord Holmes since his father had abdicated the role, would be keeping a stern watch over his nephew's interests and doing his utmost to ensure that young Hadrian was kept away from his influence.

In Lily's opinion, it seemed to take forever until the end of the Halloween Feast (although that could have because it was the second in as many days) and everyone seemed to be waiting impatiently for Dumbledore to finish his food. _At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored._

_"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions."_

"Bon chance, Fleur." Hadrian whispered to his older friend, well aware that she had entered her name and was nervously hoping that she could represent their school. Everyone watched as Dumbledore _took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting...A few people kept checking their watches…_

_The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped._

_Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white._

_"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."_

Cheers broke out amongst the durmstrang students as Viktor Krum stood from his seat with the Slytherins and slouched up towards the front of the hall where _he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber._

_"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"_

_The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames._

_"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"_

Hadrian and his friends exploded in enthusiastic applause. Seeing Lily joining in caused her friends among the Hogwarts students to join in and soon, applause was ringing throughout the hall, louder and more enthusiastic than for Viktor Krum. Fleur rose and gracefully made her way to the door which Viktor Krum had exited through shortly before.

Once Fleur _had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next..._

_And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment._

_"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"_

The applause from most of the Hogwarts students for Cedirc was much less enthusiastic than for either of the other two although Hadrian, Lily and their friends made up for it and the blonde Hufflepuff gave them a bright grin as he walked past them. When the applause died down once more, Dumbledore spoke again.

_"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"_

_But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him._

_The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment._ However, just as Dumbledore was reaching for it, another flame shot out from the rest and destroyed the parchment. Dumbledore looked disappointed for a few seconds, not that most people noticed (although Hadrian was watching Dumbledore's reaction closely). Seeing how angry and disappointed the old man was, Hadrian decided that it would be prudent to owl his family. It had never been hidden him that Dumbledore was looking for him, assuming him to be the son of James Potter. He was also well aware that Dumbledore was pursuing him as Hadrian Holmes for GInny and Molly Weasley. Hadrian definitely needed to speak to his uncle…

_***FS***_

Mycroft Holmes was concerned for his nephew, Hadrian was going to be under Dumbledore's watchful eye for an entire school year and the Hogwarts headmaster had already tried manipulating Hadrian. So when he received a letter from his nephew, he was hardly surprised. The contents were, similarly, unsurprising.

'**Dear Uncle Mycroft,**

**I apologise for neglecting proper etiquette with this letter but there was an incident earlier today that I feel you would wish to know about. As you know, the Triwizard Champions were selected today by the Goblet of Fire. AS expected, Fleur is the champion for Beauxbatons (please tell Uncle Greg that I won our wager), Viktor Krum is the champion for Durmstrang while one Cedric Diggory is the Hogwarts. However, things did not run smoothly. Once the three champions had left the room, the Goblet of Fire attempted to send out another name. It burned the parchment before Dumbledore could get his hands on it so there is no way of knowing exactly what name was on it. I was watching Dumbledore when the parchment was burned, and he looked both angry and disappointed that he wouldn't get to announce the name.**

**I spoke to Fleur after she returned to the carriage, Madame Maxime confronted Dumbledore over the potential fourth name. He stated that he had been warned that Voldemort is targeting at student at one of the three schools (something we know to be false as you and dad would have heard about that before now) and he had wished to try and draw him out using the tournament. Upon hearing that Dumbledore wished to use their students as bait, Madame Maxime and Karkaroff both expressed their intentions to cancel the tournament and leave to protect their students. Dumbledore then revealed that entering the tournament entailed entering an unbreakable contract that will take the magic of the chosen champions unless they compete.**

**Uncle Mycroft, no one was told about the contract and thus, the students were entered into a dangerous tournament under false pretences and into a contract without their consent. I believe that it may be worth forming a council of the champions' parents and others who can advise them and help protect their children's rights. I know that Fleur intends to write to her father, Anton, and I suspect that Cedric will write to his father, What I am unsure about is whether Krum will write to his family. It may be worth reaching out to them anyway. This could be what we've been waiting for in order to start an inquiry into Dumbledore's activities.**

**I also wished to ask if I may invite the champions to the manor for Christmas, not only are they now risking their lives for something as ridiculous as DUmbledore's manipulations, but they will also have to miss seeing their families at Christmas if something is not organised soon. I am sure that their families would be very grateful to know that their heirs will not have to remain under Dumbledore's influence at a time when they will be most vulnerable.**

**I hope to hear from you soon uncle, and I hope that you, Uncle Greg, Uncle John, Aunt Mary, dad, Grandmother and Grandfather are all well.**

**Love**

**Hadrian H.**'

Mycroft stood abruptly from his chair beside the fire, drawing his husband's attention.

"Something wrong My?" Greg asked, standing from his own chair.

"News from Hadrian, it would appear that Dumbledore has made his move. I have some letters to write. This might be our opportunity to remove some of his power and influence." Mycroft replied with a smile at his husband.

"Right, anything I can do to help?" Greg nodded. He'd known before they even became a couple that family is important to Mycroft so he would do anything to help him protect those closest to him.

"Yes, could you let my parents know that Hadrian will be inviting several families to join our Yuletide festivities." Mycroft replied with a grateful smile.

Though slightly confused, Greg had long since learned that none of the Holmes' did anything without a good reason, he also knew that it was likely something to do with Hadrian's letter. He wasn't too sure who the extra guests would be during the Winter holidays, but Greg was determined to make them feel as welcome as Hadrian and Lily's other friends.

_***FS***_

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, wracking his brain for some way to try and wrest control back of the situation. He hadn't wanted to reveal that Voldemort was after one of the children at any one of the three schools (and he certainly would be once Dumbledore was done!) but there was no other way to explain away what had happened with the fourth piece of parchment. He _**knew**_ that it was related to the mystery of where Harry Potter went. He'd added Harry's name in the middle of the night, under the name of a preschool that Lily had been considering, along with the written instruction to provide the name he was currently using.

If only that stupid cup hadn't had the sentience to realise that _**he**_ had been the one to add the paper! He'd know who had his weapon and pawn and could take him back. But no, it had to realise just in time to destroy the paper. The situation could have been salvaged, had he only been able to see the paper before it was destroyed.

What was worse, he still had no ideas on how to tackle the Holmes problem. He was aware that Ginny had written to her mother to ask for love potions to use on the boy, he just needed to provide an opportunity for them to use it. Maybe a ball of some description might work...

_***FS***_

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the Hogwarts headmaster, a meeting was taking place in the Beauxbatons carriage. All the champions were there with their school heads, although Cedric had been accompanied by Minerva McGonagall. Madame Pomfrey had also joined the meeting.

"I am aware zat zis is 'ighly irregular. But we need to discuss what it iz zat we want to do with zis situation. Dumbly-dorr 'as acted terribly." Madame Maxime sighed.

"It's true, had I known that my students were going to be used as bait, I wouldn't have agreed to come." Karkaroff replied angrily.

"Please don't judge all of us at this school by Dumbledore's actions. I know for a fact that the Head of Houses, Poppy and the other teachers of this school will do all they can to ensure that your pupils remain safe." Minerva said quietly, she too had been surprised to hear that Dumbledore was using children as bait and had silently vowed to herself to never trust the old man again.

"My dear Minerva, we know zat ze rest of you must not be blamed for somezing zat 'ee as chosen to do." Madame Maxime smiled, soothing the other witch.

"Yes, yes, we all know that they aren't to be blamed. But what I want to know is, what are we to do about it?" Karkaroff said impatiently. The three champions were stood off to the side, discussing ideas for training together and they glanced at the other group at Karkaroff's words.

"One of my students iz ze neveu of someone 'oo iz influential in ze assemblée de la magie in zis counrty. Also, one of 'is friends iz ze heir to yet anuzzer influential family. And If I know Mycroft, 'ee will be reaching out to ze parents of each champion to 'elp deal wiz ze situation." Madame Maxime replied and Poppy grinned at her.

"I've never met young Hadrian's family, but from what I gather, they're rather protective of one another. I do hope that you'll give the family, most especially Hadrian, my regards." The mediwitch smiled and everyone paused.

"Have you met the Holmes heir before Poppy?" Minerva asked, her cat-like curiosity getting the better of her.

"I was the midwife when he was born." Poppy replied.

"I certainly will Madame. And I am fairly sure zat ze 'Olmes family will invite not only ze champions to zair WInter celebrations, but also you. 'Adrian 'as already written to 'is Oncle and 'is fazzer" Madame Maxime smiled, knowing that Poppy had long since been placed under the protection of the Holmes family for her assistance to Lily.

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing training schedules for the three champions and ways in which all the students could be protected from Dumbledore's manipulations.

_***FS***_

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